Diary of the Week: Midnight Massive, Politics and the Pen, Fashion Heals and Salah Bachir

April 26, 2016

With ticket sales in the thousands and an ambitious series of installations, the Art Gallery of Ontario's annual fundraiser is always a hot ticket on the social calendar of heavy-hitting creatives. Guests were invited to arrive masked according to this year's Midnight Massive theme, some choosing traditional Venetian fare, others thoroughly modern inventions and the rest opting for a painted adornment by M.A.C's on-site artists. Among the pieces on display was The New Beat and Menalon's Lazer Harp, an interactive musical delight, and Robin Clason's infinite selfie space, which had revellers lined up to snap themselves as a Prince tribute incited many a heartbroken spin on the dance floor. In the end, more than $300,000 was raised for Toronto's premiere art gallery... and we're still obsessing over our Mad Max-worthy M.A.C. masks. Charlize, call us!

Ottawa gathered the country's literati for the annual Politics and the Pen gala, a 500-person affair that finds itself at the crossroads of politics and literature - or at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, to be more exact. Each table in the hotel's ballroom saw a guest writer (clad in red medals) and a guest politician (recognizable by their grey medals), and co-hosts Catherine Clark and Ben Mulroney kicked off the festivities. The night's big winner, scooping up the Writer's Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, was John Ibbitson and his book Stephen Harper, of which he said that with such a fierce set of competitors his good fortune must have been "a roll of the dice." And with a whopping $365,000 dollars raised, one wouldn't have to roll a dice to know that it was a success.

A stylish crowd turned out at Holt Renfrew's flagship to shop for a cause: SickKids hospital. With 10% of all purchases benefitting the Fashion Heals Innovation Grant for Paediatric Cancer Research & Care, guests were eager to snatch up some of the season's most divine pieces, racking up a hefty sum to aid research. And last but not least, the yearly Salah Bachir Show fundraiser saw a high-society crowd getting down for a good cause. The Ed Sullivan-style spectacle delighted attendees, who in turn opened the pocket books to benefit St. Joseph's Hospital.

HELLO! Canada magazine is available for your tablet and smartphone. Get HELLO! Canada, PEOPLE, Vanity Fair and over 100 more of the world’s best magazines for one low monthly price at Texture by Next Issue. CLICK HERE to sign up for a free trial.